Agroforestry: A primer Design and management principles for people and the environment

Agroforestry: A primer Design and management principles for people and the environment

Conventional agriculture comes at a cost: soil that is depleted or eroded, watercourses that are polluted or drying up, and a food system that produces 20–40% of greenhouse gas emissions. Many people now agree that we urgently need to transform the food system, including agriculture.

Agroforestry, as a nature-based approach to production and land use, will play an important role in this transformation. Agroforestry is not new; farmers have practised it for thousands of years, and scientists have recognized it since the 1970s as a productive and ecologically sustainable form of agriculture and land use. However, agroforestry is not just a matter of adding trees to farms. To realize its potential, practitioners need to understand its principles. Agroforestry: A primer is a guide to agroforestry principles and concepts – and how to use them effectively.

Contents • Introduction • Components of agroforestry systems • Agroforestry systems as circular systems • Principles of agroforestry design • Co-design and establishment of agroforestry systems • Planting material in agroforestry • Management of trees in agroforestry systems • From principles to practice: Key systems • Stories from the front line